About

The University of Edinburgh’s 23 Things for Digital Knowledge is a self-directed course designed for students new to The University of Edinburgh. Each section introduces the range of digital tools, services, software, support, and knowledge available across the University.

The aim is for you to spend a little time each week, building up and expanding your knowledge of all the excellent digital opportunities available to assist your learning. We hope that the programme presents a realistic challenge and will allow you to fit it into your schedule.


Who can take part and participate?

The course is open to all University of Edinburgh students, and free to anyone who has access to a computer and the internet. If you are not a member of the University you are very welcome to participate however the content of the course is focused around the digital tools, softwares, and practices used at The University of Edinburgh.


How does the course work?

Each ‘Thing’ includes an introduction to the topic, some reading materials, and a task to complete. The tasks are designed to embed the knowledge gathered from the topic and to try out the tool or topic being explored.


What do I need to do?

This is an open and self-paced programme. You can work through each Thing at your own pace. If you decide to create a blog and work towards a Digital badge, we’ll help you with setting up and registering your blog in Thing 2. If you want to work through the content in the course but don’t want to blog about it that’s fine too.

How you approach the content is up to you. The important part is ensuring that you learn of the range of tools, software, and services available during your studies at the University.


Will there be a certificate?

University of Edinburgh students can choose to earn a 23 Things for Digital Knowledge Digital Badge. Register your blog, complete the readings, activity, and a written reflection (min. 400 words) on each of the course Things, then submit your blog for review and validation.

BadgEd is the open digital badges service for the University of Edinburgh. Digital badges offer a way to recognise verified extra-curricular skills and achievements and a secure way to share them.

https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/more/badged-open-digital-badges


How long will it take?

Everyone works at their own pace. Some Things may already be familiar to you and quickly achieved, while others may be new and require more time to explore. We suggest allocating around one to two hours per Thing.


How long do I have to complete the course?

As long as you like!


Do I have to set up a blog?

You can work through 23 Things without setting up a blog. However, reflective and open blogging is a core part of the course. It is used to create a community of participants, to share different perspectives, uses, and understandings of the Things we will be exploring.

The blog is also used to submit completion of the course to be eligible for the BadeEd open digital badge and can be integrated as evidence for some Edinburgh Award activities or other Continuing Professional Development (CPD).


How do I register my blog?

We have provided a form for you to complete as part of Thing 2. This will register your blog for 23 Things for Digital Knowledge.


How do I tag my blog posts?

We have provided guidance on how to do this as part of Thing 2. If you are unsure or would like further assistance contact us by emailing 23things@ed.ac.uk.


What if I need help?

Writing and posting your questions through your blog is a great way to join in the conversation as it allows everyone following along the opportunity to answer each other’s questions and help.

You can also ask us questions by emailing 23things@ed.ac.uk


Licensing – Can I re-use your course?

Yes! The content of this course is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY). In fact we actively encourage you to take our Digital Knowledge course and adapt it for your own purposes.

Some of the excellent images used on our website were created by our Interactive Content team at the University are also available on a CC BY licence and can be downloaded from the Interactive Content Flickr account.

Other images used in the current version of this course include:


Who runs the 23 Things for Digital Knowledge course?

The updated version of this course is led by Stephanie Charlie Farley and run by the Open Education service in the Educational Design and Engagement team at The University of Edinburgh. The course has been developed with input from our Learning Design and Web Services colleagues, and student interns including Megan Thompson and Paula Gomez Valiente.


Wasn’t there other content here before? The 2016-2021 23 Things for Digital Knowledge course

The previous version of this course, the 2016-2021 University of Edinburgh’s 23 Things for Digital Knowledge was an award winning (LILAC Credo Digital Literacy Award 2017), self-directed course aimed towards both students and professionals seeking to improve their digital knowledge and confidence.

The previous course content has been archived and can still be viewed online: https://www.23things-archive.is.ed.ac.uk/

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